Farm & Home Supply and Horizon Retail Solutions Join Forces to Enhance Growth and Customer Satisfaction
Recently, we sat down with members of the leadership team of Farm & Home Supply to discuss their history with Horizon, an exciting recent project the teams have completed together, and their strategic vision for the technology partnership in the future. Read on to discover their unique backstory with our solutions, and more.
THE CUSTOMER AND THE TEAM
Farm & Home Supply was founded as a single store back in 1960, then known as Quincy Farm Supply. Since those humble beginnings, they have expanded operations to include 15 physical stores across three states and an e-commerce website.
Farm & Home Supply today serves a region with millions of people that includes everything from unincorporated neighborhoods to major cities. The company has been – and still is – owned by local families focused on providing knowledgeable, courteous service and products customers need to live a great life in the Midwest.
Farm & Home Supply is led by a team of experienced professionals, headed by Mike Pauling, the company’s Chief Executive Officer. With 25 years of experience in the farm and ranch retail business, Pauling brings a wealth of knowledge to his role.
He’s also an expert with Horizon’s merchandising and retail management capabilities after spending 18 years of his career with a fellow farm and ranch retailer that also had Horizon Retail Solutions software in place.
Additionally, as a former buyer and former merchandise manager, he has first-hand working knowledge of the platform and utilized it in his daily duties and activities for a significant portion of his career.
Corey Dean, IT Director at Farm & Home Supply, joined the company in 2023. Prior to this role, he worked for the municipal government for the City of Quincy, first as the senior network administrator for 18 years, and then as the city’s IT Director.
Dean has spent a year working with Horizon Retail Solutions, and he has some ambitious plans for the software. He shared his vision for how it can enhance growth and customer satisfaction at his stores.
HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE WITH HORIZON
For Mike Pauling, Horizon solutions have been part of his day-to-day job from the early years of his career. As he told our team:
“I’ve been utilizing the Horizon retail solution going on 25 years now, since my time with the with the first retailer and the farming ranch business that I that I started with. I actually helped launch Horizon Retail Solutions when I was working in the store. Then I utilized the platform and so forth in a buying capacity and merchandise manager capacity as well.”
Both Pauling and Dean highlight how easy the Horizon team are to work with. Dean remarks that “…my experiences have all been very positive while working with the Horizon team…They’re so responsive to everything that is really important to us and if I bring up a ticket that needs to be kicked up in priority, they are always very quick to respond and give me an update as quickly as possible.”
HORIZON AND FARM & HOME ENHANCE THE IN-STORE EXPERIENCE
Recently, the Horizon team had the opportunity to help Farm & Home Supply implement a product protection plan at its stores, an exciting new enhancement to the in-store purchasing experience. Working collaboratively, the two companies designed the solution and ran through all possible scenarios, including returns and product replacement, to ensure the plan would support their goal of providing World-Class Customer Service in Store.
The Farm & Home leaders credit the Professional Services team at Horizon with helping them design the new process from the ground up. Newton Chan, General Manager of Horizon, describes the complex project and how well the organizations worked together. “We knew that the new functionality was going bring a lot of value to Farm & Home customers as well as team members,” explains Chan. “So, we were happy to take it on it. Corey and Mike and the rest of the Farm & Home team helped us understand the requirements as we went through an in-depth design project. We had a lot of back and forth coming up with a program that would work, and we’re very pleased with the result.”
Pauling outlines his experience with the project, saying “The Horizon team was absolutely fantastic throughout the process and willing to lean in, collaborate, and test as needed prior to going live in store and to ensure that we set ourselves up for a great experience at the register. They ensured that we are fully aligned with accurate data, appropriate reporting, and the ability to support the information on the backside as well.”
Dean also credits the Horizon team for their flexibility and responsiveness. He told us “It was a very positive experience for us and for the entire project team on this end, everyone was impressed with how well Horizon’s team both listened and understood exactly what we were asking for, plus how they were able to deliver it in a very timely manner.
As is usually the case when you are kicking the tires of a new solution, ideas come up about different things that were not thought of in the earlier phases of the project. We were able to ask those questions, and they were able to implement those ideas as we went along.”
When this solution was showcased at the Horizon User Group conference in April, I knew for sure that it was a valued project for both sides. I have since received several questions from other Mid-States members and attendees of that Conference have asked about the solution and how it works.
That always makes you feel good, especially being the new guy!”
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES MADE SIMPLER, PLUS A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Having completed the successful implementation of their protection plan, Farm & Home Supply aren’t resting on their laurels. Instead, they’ve moved on and begun the implementation of another part of the Horizon platform, the Gateway web-based store management and mobile inventory management system
Pauling says of the team’s current efforts, “Right now we’re working on the implementation of the Gateway product, and we believe that that will bring a new level of creativity to promotions that we can offer and certainly a new level of efficiency at the register that our customers and team members will enjoy. So, we’re very excited about launching that part of the platform.”
Dean describes the enthusiasm on the purchasing team for the Gateway functionality, which he shared with them at the start of the project:
“I really can’t say enough about the BOGO and promotion configuration options in Gateway.
When I showed that to our purchasing team, they were floored, and I can’t wait for them to truly experience using it other than just hearing me talk about it.
The simple ability to execute on promotions like our “DeWalt Days” and just tell our cashiers that all they have to do is sell because the system is handling everything else is something that we can’t wait to be able to do. Something tells me that when we do tell them that that we may get a few extra Christmas cards just for that alone. So, thank you guys for that.”
Beyond the Gateway project, Pauling and Dean see a long and successful road ahead for their partnership with Horizon. Both men point to the reliability and security of the platform and the adaptability and flexibility of the team as reasons for their satisfaction.
As Pauling puts it, “I would absolutely recommend Horizon Retail solutions to other companies due to the fact that they’re open to listening to their customers. They’re willing to adapt and change based on the consumer expectations, and they truly care about bringing new, innovative and unique solutions to the companies they collaborate with today.”
“I would definitely recommend Horizon retail solutions because they listen, they care and they’re innovative, you know, and that’s exactly what people need these days.” Corey Dean